ON A RECENT HOLIDAY TO YORKSHIRE, I had the pleasure of passing the remains of Jervaulx Abbey. Established by the Cistercians in 1156, standing proudly in the Wensleydale valley, the abbey owned half of the area at its peak, developing a reputation not only for the quality of its horse-breeding, but for the valley’s eponymous cheese. Aside from a monk murdering an abbot in 1279, it was a happy house.
That all changed in 1537. Adam Sedbergh, the abbot, had the temerity to send meat and drink to the leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace, the popular revolt against Henry VIII’s break with Rome and closure of the monasteries. Henry did not take this act of charity well. He had Jervaulx forfeited to the Crown. The abbot was hung, drawn and quartered, and his abbey was dissolved.
Its remains are open to the public and serve as
